SERUM OPSONINS TO GROUP B MENINGOCOCCI

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Abstract
The production of serum opsonins and other antibodies to serogroup B serotype 15 meningococci was examined in 7 patients with serogroup B serotype 15 meningococcal disease and 7 volunteers immunized with a vaccine containing outer membrane proteins from serogroup B serotype 2b and 15 meningococcal strains complexed with polysaccharides from serogroups A, C, Y and W-135 meningococci. Serum opsonic activity was measured by a flow cytometric phagocytosis technique, using unfixed serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate. Serum antibodies to outer membrane complexes prepared from the meningococcal test strain, B:15:P1.16, were measured by an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The mean number of bacteria per phagocyte increased from 9.7 to 17.3 (mean difference 7.6, p < 0.001) when the meningococci were opsonized with convalescent sera compared to sera obtained during the acute illness, and from 8.0 to 15.4 (mean difference 7.4, p < 0.001) when opsonized with sera from immunized versus pre-immunized volunteers. The patients had insignificant amounts of serum antibodies to the group B meningococcal test strain on admission to hospital. Two weeks later all had a marked increase in IgG, IgM and IgA serum antibodies. Vaccination caused a marked increase in serum IgG antibodies. Serum opsonic activity and IgG levels were still high 6 weeks after the acute illness/immunization. A correlation was observed between serum opsonic activity and IgG antibody levels (r = 0.883, p < 0.001). The production of serum opsonins and IgG antibodies to a group B meningococcal strain was similar in patients with group B meningococcal disease and immunized volunteers, indicating that the vaccine may provide protection against group B meningococcal disease.